This invention relates to low pressure gas discharge lamps and, particularly, to an apertured fluorescent lamp of the type used to provide a uniform distribution of illumination along a surface.
Tubular low pressure arc discharge lamps, such as conventional fluorescent and sodium vapor lamps, project light upon a surface in a relatively uniform manner except for a gradual decrease in illumination near the ends. This end falloff is ordinarily not a problem when the lamp is used for general purpose lighting. In certain applications, however, such as use as the exposure source in a photocopying machine, the light falloff must be compensated for in some manner since relatively uniform illumination of the entire width of a document to be copied must be obtained. Various ways of providing for this compensation are known to the art: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,225,241 and 3,717,781 are representative of the so-called aperture fluorescent lamps which disclose ways of charging the properties of the coatings near the ends of the lamp. In the xerographic art, it is more usual to shape the output light profile of the scanning lamp by interposing a so-called butterfly slit between the lamp and the document, the slit shape serving to allow increased illumination at the ends of the document. Alternatively, the longitudinal dimensions of the lamp are increased so that only the central portion of the lamp which provides relatively uniform illumination is utilized.
It is a principal object of this invention to provide an apertured gas discharge lamp which provides relatively uniform illumination along the entire length of the aperture.
It is a further object to provide an aperture lamp of reduced length which nonetheless provides uniform illumination along the length of the aperture.